Set Sail!
Set Sail! is a short narrative by Owen Follington. It is about a viking who tried to sneak into a science fair so he can get rich, and stumbles upon the dark truth of his mysterious past. “And that is how I invented the teacup!” Shouted the man on stage, out of breath. The audience slumped into their seats and moaned. It was 1879, in the depths of London, a day where most people populated the dry roads and sentinels would march around the royal palace. Instead, they amassed in groups, behind an immense beige platform. One of the judges came up to try to warm the viewers’ spirits. “Please welcome our next nominee,” he exclaimed. A figure marched onto the stage with pride. He had long dark hair and a brass goggle attached to his right eye. The anonymous man had a long white hat with a pointed top, and his wiry muscles were a big as a bowling ball. He presented a wide black box that had a small flap on the side to open it. The man flipped the opening and pulled out a small item, like a sharks tooth. He rotated the box around revealing 3 muddy words, ‘The Silver Dagger’ The audience gasped, they had not seen anything like this. More people crowded round like they were hypnotized by the strange thing. The man forced a smile, pleased with himself. Mutters whispered below him, wondering what it could do. In a different direction, people were cheering. The judge had only one thing to do. He grabbed an item from a shelf and showed the audience the prize. It was a tall carved cup made out of pure gold. The mysterious man’s eyes glistened in happiness. He was going to be rich. And then a slip of paper fell from the sky and ruined everything. The judge saw it too. A lonely sheet floating like a feather from the misty sky. It fell a meter before him and he leaned over and picked it up. A man's vicious face popped out of the paper and the judge shivered with fright. The parchment said in bold letters, ‘WANTED: Harry the Forth.’ Everyone in London knew this barbarous name. His father had born him his name three days before he disappeared in a war at their enemies battleground. Harry had always wanted to be an inventor, but after his father died, his family lost all their wealth. So he robbed many towns, navigating his father's boat, and after every robbery he did, he wore a special disguise so the guards were unaware of his peculiar activity. The judge turned his stern face to the frightened man in front of him. “Guards! Get him!” he shouted. The guards leaped across from both sides of the stage. Harry went sprawling onto the floor as the guards piled on top of him. There was a thunderous roar from the sky. A cloaked man ran round the corner and looked directly at Harry's desperate green eyes and his mouth drooped open. “My son…” he began to say. Another bolt from the sky shot through Harry's bones as the town folks screamed as everything went dark. Category:Narratives